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How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Kansas
Vulnerable Birds in Kansas
Highly and moderately vulnerable birds may lose more than half of their current range—the geographic area where they live—as they are forced to search for suitable habitat and climate conditions elsewhere.
Kansas
| Flyway | Central Flyway |
| State Brief | Download [PDF] |
Below, find out which of the birds that nest or spend the winter in your area are most vulnerable across their entire range. Some birds may lose range outside of your state, making the protection of their current habitat in your area even more important.
How will the Lark Bunting's range be affected in Kansas?
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect birds' ability to find food and reproduce, which over time impacts local populations, and ultimately continent-wide populations, too. Some species may even go extinct in your state if they cannot find the conditions they need to survive and raise their young.
Select a warming scenario to see how this species’ range will change under increased global temperatures.
Reducing warming makes many types of birds found in Kansas less vulnerable.
In order to hold warming steady, we must act now to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere and limit warming to 1.5 degrees. We must reduce our carbon emissions and also absorb what is produced through natural solutions like reforestation or with technology that removes carbon from the air.
Click the three different warming scenarios to explore how increased warming puts more species in Kansas at risk.
Kansas's Birds and Habitats
A wetland oasis in a sea of prairie, Quivira National Wildlife Area hosts tens of thousands of migrant and wintering waterfowl, including the endangered Whooping Crane. Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area is one of the most important stopovers for shorebirds in North America; up to 90 percent of the entire populations of Stilt Sandpipers and Baird’s Sandpipers rest here. In grasslands, like at Cimarron National Grassland, critically endangered Lesser Prairie-Chickens gather on leks to perform their iconic courtship dances.
Climate Policy in Kansas
RENEWABLE
.1 % Biomass
.1 % Hydro
NUCLEAR
FOSSIL FUEL
38.1 % Coal
.1 % Petroleum
BY 2020
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
Kansas is located in the center of America’s wind tunnel and ranked among the top five states in total wind generation in 2018.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Kansas
In Kansas, warmer temperatures and drier soils can lower water levels in waterways, threatening navigation, electric power generation, and public water supplies. At the same time, rainstorms and floods are becoming more intense, damaging infrastructure and residences.
The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk harm people, too. Hover over or tap an area on the map to see specific threats that will affect that area as warming increases.